Melbourne Cup 2018 Betting and Odds Preview

Notice! Actual odds are subject to change and are correct as displayed only at the time of publishing: 10:08 AM 18.10.2018.

The Melbourne Cup is one of the races with the longest tradition in the world. The first race was held back in 1861 and since then it has established itself as one of the premier thoroughbred races for horse racing enthusiasts.

It is currently Australia’s most prestigious horse race of its type. It is 3200 metres long and three year old or older horses can take part. The race takes place at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria and last year, the winner of the race was given $3.6 million, while the total prize pool of the race was over $6 million.

The popularity of the race is so big that punters and betting enthusiasts worldwide can’t wait for it to start and try to predict the outcome of the race. This year, there are five horses which have been tipped to triumph in Melbourne and in this article we will take a look at their odds and chances for victory.

Can Yucatan Replicate his Herbert Power Win?

Aidan O’Brian

The horse trained by Aidan O’Brian caused quite a stir in the horse racing world by producing one of the most impressive performances of the season when he claimed an arrogant win in the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield.

The 1-1/4-length winning margin over the runner-up did his performance no justice as James McDonald and Yucatan had at one time an advantage of seven lengths, but McDonald decided to ease his horse down as victory was already imminent.

In addition to this, McDonald recently came out and said that he considers Yucatan to be better than 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente claiming that Yucatan has a lot more stamina and has a great turn of foot.

Bookmakers seem to share this sentiment and they also rate Yucatan as the biggest favourite to win in the Melbourne Cup as all of RedZoneSports, MansionBet, SportPesa, Fun88, and Letou give him favourite deserving odds of 8/1.

Can Magic Circle Add Another Win to his Tally?

Magic Circle is definitely one of the favourites to win the Melbourne Cup. He is one of the last European horses which have left the UK, but he is also one of the biggest European favourites for victory. He has a magnificent record and is the winner of eight of his 20 starts and is undefeated in two runs this year, winning the Chester Cup by six lengths back in May.

This means that the horse ridden by Corey Brown and owned by the flamboyant billionaire Marwan Koukash goes into the Melbourne Cup as one of the top candidates for victory and bookmakers are aware of this fact so have priced the horse with the second-lowest odds.

If you think that Magic Circle has a chance for victory in Melbourne, you can get odds of 10/1 from sports betting operators such as RedZoneSports, SportPesa, MansionBet, Fun88 and Letou.

Will It Be Avilius’ Day?

Avilius won by a very narrow margin in the Group Three The Bart Cummings at Flemington when he defeated Jaameh by the width of a hair and then even survived a protest. His first victory over a staying distance means that he is also able to win when under a lot of pressure and this will surely be a good sign for all punters planning on backing the five year old trained by the renowned James Cummings.

Cummings felt that not appearing in the Stella Artois Caulfield Cup and instead using the Ladbrokes Cox Plate as the final preparation for the 2018 Melbourne Cup will turn out to be a good decision at the end of the day.

The horse showed that he can still perform at the top level and that he still has that turn of foot despite being involved in demanding races requiring a lot of pace. This is incentive enough for bookmakers to make him their joint second favourite for the victory just behind Yucaton. Avilius, just like Magic Circle, is given odds of 10/1 by bookmakers such as Fun88, SportPesa, RedZoneSports, Letou and MansionBet.

Can Cross Counter Overcome his Injury Scare?

Cross Counter

Fans and supporters of Cross Counter were given a scare in the preparation for the 2018 Melbourne Cup as the horse sustained a minor setback. Luckily however, his injury scare happened three weeks before the big event will take place so he and his team will have ample time to make the best out of a situation which is far from ideal.

His trainer, Charlie Appleby said that he expects his recovery to be quick, but that having an injury so close to a big event is somewhat of an annoyance. He said that the horse will be assessed daily and his progress will be followed carefully.

Cross Counter is an exciting stayer and his name was on everyone’s lips when he managed to lower the course record in a brilliant display in the Qatar Gordon Stakes at Goofwood. That victory has prompted many punters to back the horse to win the Melbourne Cup as well and his odds of 11/1 given by sports betting operators such as Fun88, SportPesa, Letou, RedZoneSports, and MansionBet are certainly indicative of a horse able to triumph.

Can Withhold’s Size and Huge Stride Take Him to Victory?

Withhold was a race favourite to win the Melbourne Cup with bookmakers when nominations were taken in August. Currently, the six year old horse is the fifth favourite to win the illustrious race, but that may not mean a lot as according to many people who have followed him closely in recent races he has improved significantly and his stable believe that he is ready to win the big event in Melbourne.

The horse has been praised for his adaptability and it has been said that his large lung capacity and the fact that he is a really big horse is often the deciding difference.

Bookmakers feel that Withhold is a good proposition for the winners spot in Melbourne and they have given him odds accordingly. All of SportPesa, MansionBet, Fun88, Letou, and RedZoneSports believe that Withhold can triumph in Melbourne and have given him odds of 12/1.